Frostbitten, twice shy: AAML
by shoujoai-fangirl
Summary: Misty pays a visit to Ash while she's on Christmas vacation. They get snowed in the hotel, just before bumping into an old friend. How will Misty cope when a distracted Ash starts spending less time with her? Pokeshipping.
1. Return of the forgotten rival

**Author - **shoujoai**-**fangirl

**Disclaimer - **I do not own pokemon or any of the following characters. This is fictional, written purely for the entertainment of AAML fans like myself. Also I was super bored. Enjoy

**Title - **Frostbitten, twice shy

**Ages **- Ash 14, Misty 15 and Brock 18

**Time of year - **A week before Christmas

**Authors note **- I put a lot of time and effort into this, I wanted to try a comedy/romance genre to fit Ash and Misty but unfortunately I have no sense of humour so you'll just have to bear with me and settle for an angsty pokeshippy drama instead XD Melody plays the villain in this story, not that I have anything against her, its just her personality makes her a worthy adversary for Misty. This is my second fanfic (not uploading my very first fanfic because it isn't too good) so please go easy on me, I'm a rookie with a desperate need to expand my poor vocabulary with practise stories such as this one

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The lobby in the hotel was crowded with people as Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu were having dinner together. Misty decided to fly out from Cerulean to spend Christmas vacation with her old friends, leaving her Azurill in day-care The room was brightly lit with lanterns and the sound of cheerful banter and pleasant music filled the room as the hotel staff hung Christmas decorations along the pale yellow walls. Misty let out an exaggerated groan.

Ash peered up from his bowl at her "What's wrong now?"

Misty sighed and looked out the window, the condensation of her breath fogged up the icy glass. "Stupid blizzard. This city has some of the best places to shop and its too cold to go anywhere. I wanted to buy a new coat" She frowned and took another bite out of her cheesecake.

Ash rolled his eyes. "Look I'm sure it'll clear up tomorrow. Anyway its pretty late and the shops would be closing soon. Besides, I doubt they'll be open for business when no one is able to leave their homes in this kind of weather"

"Its not only that... they were having a double battle tournament today at the local gym and I wanted to give it a try. Over 100 trainers have applied for it. All teams of two go into the gym and face off against the others and battle until its narrowed down to the last two sets of partners. The winning team gets a trophy I think."

"Is it still on tomorrow?" asked Ash, suddenly showing interest

Misty nodded. "The two finalists from today's tournament go on to battle against tomorrows winning team"

"Then I'll team up with you and we'll compete together for the competition tomorrow." He grinned. "Haven't given my pokemon a good workout in a while anyway and they need one."

Before Misty could respond with another reason to complain-

"Piii! Piiii!"

Pikachu jumped to Mistys side and patted her on the shoulder to comfort her. She couldn't help but smile and pet him.

"Well thanks for your concern" she chuckled.

Brock gazed around the room in awe "Misty, I don't know what you're complaining about, this place is great! So many pretty girls staying here."

"Don't drool on your food, Brock" she grunted, worrying that his comment might direct Ash's attention to the fact that the hotel was full of pretty female trainers. Ash took a quick glance around the room out of curiosity.

But his mind was elsewhere. "Hey, look at that" Ash pointed to the entrance of the hotel with a confused expression on his face.

A crowd of people were shoving against it trying to get out and hotel staff were coming down to the reception to see what was going on.

Brock grimaced "I think we're snowed in."

"Well isn't this just fantastic?" Smiled misty, her words dripping with sarcasm.

Ash stuffed his face with more rice "Come on Misty, it cant be that bad."

Misty slumped down on the table "Lets just all sleep on it" she muttered.

"Sounds good to me" agreed Brock getting out of his seat. "I think we're stuck here for the night anyway"

The four of them made their way through the frustrated crowds to get to the corridors. They bumped into one person after another when a girl popped up out of nowhere and stared in their faces. She was a young teenager with long spiky maroon hair

"Hiiiii!" She squeaked with a tad too much enthusiasm, leaving Ash and his friends staring at her blankly, a bit surprised by her sudden cheerful greeting.

"...Do we know you?" Asked Misty.

"You don't remember me?"

They all gawked at her, hoping she would tell them who she was, the situation felt awkward for them.

She sighed before spreading out her arms with a pose "Its me, Melody!"

Misty went pale. _"It cant be…"_

Seeing Misty's reaction, Melody jumped on Ash and squeezed him with an unexpected hug "Ash! its so good to see you, looking great as usual."

"Oh well I uhh..." Ash laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head.

She turned her attention to Misty "and yourself?"

"Fine, thank you..." Misty grumbled, trying not to grit her teeth or show any frustration

Melody gave her a hug and whispered over her shoulder: "Still not Ash's girlfriend I take it?" she teased slyly.

Misty clenched her fists at that remark "What are you implying?" she scowled.

"Oh, nothiiiiing!" giggled Melody, really getting on Mistys nerves at this point.

She glanced at Brock and reached out for a handshake "and I don't believe I met you before-"

Brock grabbed her hand and shook it furiously with hearts in his eyes "but I'm pretty sure I met you... in my dreams!"

Melody exhaled a nervous giggle and knelt down to be eye level with Pikachu. "I see you've been taking good care of your Pikachu, Ash. Handsome **and** a good trainer! Is there anything you cant do?"

"Well he obviously cant tell suck ups to leave us alone" muttered Misty

Melodys ears pricked up. "What was that, Misty?"

"Oh nothiiiiing!" said Misty as she imitated Melody's taunt with a smug look on her face.

Ash and Brock both exchanged nervous glances with each other. They were starting to sense the tension between Misty and Melody.

Ash quickly changed she subject "So, what brings you here Melody?"

"Oh the usual, just getting off that island and exploring the world to meet cool people like you" she grinned. "Its great to see you again"

Ash blushed little and began to stammer.

Seeing the effect Melody was having on him, Misty stood between the two of them.

"Well sorry to interrupt this, Melody but we were just about to go to sleep right?" She turned to Ash and Brock for them to agree with her but Brock was already on the other side of the room running from girl to girl and Ash didn't look like he was going to walk away from this conversation with Melody anytime soon.

Noticing Misty's futile attempts to pull Ash away from her, Melody decided to buy more time with him. "Hey Ash! Since we're snowed in here for the night, how about a battle?" knowing that he would never turn down a challenge.

Ash looked a little surprised "You're a trainer now?"

"You bet!"

"Alright, you're on! Lets find an empty room to battle."

"No ones using the ballroom right now." suggested Melody.

"Race you there!" he shouted, running away from them.

Melody giggled and sprinted after him, leaving Misty standing there looking stunned at how fast they arranged this before she could object.

"Oh I give up" she sighed, following them.

Ash burst through the doors of the ballroom to look at the vast empty place. there was only a stage and a large dance floor, just as big as a pokemon gym itself.

"Yes! This will make a great place for me to train tonight since I cant go outdoors" He cheered.

Misty leaned against the door frame "I thought we were going to sleep after this!"

Melody turned around and gave a Misty a look of false sympathy. "Aww, you can stay and watch or train with us if you like, Misty."

"Yeah that's a good idea!" agreed Ash. "You have all those battles to warm up for tomorrow."

Misty towered over him and glared down into his face "Are you saying I need practise?!?"

Ash backed away stammering "um... n-no.. I just-"

"I see you two haven't changed a bit!" interrupted Melody with a laugh. "Still like the married couple." She cooed.

Misty narrowed her eyes and stormed out of the ballroom at that remark.

"Hey where's my battle?" Ash demanded impatiently.

"Take it easy!" winked Melody, reaching for a pokeball.

Ash glanced past Melody's shoulder to see Misty leaving the room.

"Hey Mist! You not gonna stay and watch me win?" he pleaded.

"Well, well, well! look who's Mr. confident!" scoffed Melody "**I'm** going to win for sure" she boasted

Misty sharply turned in the corridor and frowned at him in disgust. "Well certain people need their sleep you know." there was a cold tone in her voice but Ash couldn't detect it.

"Ok, I'll catch up with you then!" he echoed after her, taking out a pokeball "Go, Heracross!"

Misty slammed the door behind her on the way out "Idiot." she growled.

Brock was just on his way up the corridor, practically floating with hearts in his eyes and that same dreamy look he got on his face whenever he would see a pretty girl. "Wooow" he sighed to himself "so many girls here..." He stopped in his tracks when he reached Misty and saw her expression. "What's wrong, Misty?" She didn't reply and kept walking towards their hotel room. Brock wouldn't take her silence for an answer and ran to her side "Hey, you can tell me!" She hung her head and unlocked the door "no, I cant..." and she slowly dragged herself inside and flopped on the bed.

Brock sat on the couch and watched her lying face down, stuffed into her pillow. "juff leaf me alon" she muffled.

Brock shook his head. "Let me guess. Ash did something wrong again."

Misty didn't reply.

"I take your silence for a yes" he said.

He stood up and began pacing around the room in circles "I know you don't want to be hearing this, but Ash is still an immature kid who will do stupid things every now and then. He doesn't mean to do them but that's the way he is. You just have to wait"

"Wait for what?!?" yelled Misty, now turning around and shooting up from the bed.

Brock took a step back "Uhh... you know. For him to realise what he has."

Misty froze. "What are you talking about?"

Brock sighed "I know how you feel about him and the last thing you want is Melody diverting his attention away from you. I may have a head like a rock but I notice these things, Misty. You want to be with him right?"

Misty felt a blush heating her face "yes..." she mumbled.

Brock folded his arms and nodded. "Good. Now, go back to Ash to support him for his battle."

Misty blinked at him "How did you know he was in a battle?"

"I passed that ballroom on the way through the corridor. Now go! I bet he'll be happy to see you there, trust me" smiled Brock convincingly.

A thought of Melody flirting with Ash passed through Mistys mind and she sprung to her feet, clenching her fists. "Ok, I'll go!" she yelled, already running out of the hotel room.

"Have fun!" waved Brock, knowing he did the right thing by giving her a little push in Ash's direction. He knew Ash would be too oblivious to take the initiative for anything.

Misty ran down to the ballroom with a smile on her face, eyes gleaming with hope. _"I'll cheer him on, because he would do the same for me, We have our double battle tomorrow."_

She twisted the handle and burst into the room excited. "Ash! I got bored trying to sleep so I came here to-"

But her smile fell as she looked around the room in disappointment. It was empty.

Misty felt her frustration return. "Where did they go?!?" she fumed to herself and sat on the floor, resting her head in her hands. _"what's he doing with Melody?" _her eyes began to well up, realising there was nobody around to watch, she cried to herself. The empty room became a blurred vision, as the stage in front of her became wavy and contorted. _"why's this upsetting me anyway?" _Before she could think of possible reasons, She heard a crowd people passing in the corridor behind her so she dried her tears and stood up again, now burning with resentment and eyes stinging from crying.

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I'm falling in love with you, and which will come to pass?  
Will the feeling do nothing but swell, or  
Will you notice it  
Even though I've never said anything?

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Brock sat on the couch stuffing his face with expensive snacks from the mini bar and watching TV when Misty shoved the door open in an apathetic manner, slumping onto the bed again, this time curled up in a ball.

"Hey that was quick" Brock pointed out, before noticing Misty's expression, realising something went wrong. She turned around on her bed and faced him with a glare. "oh..." he trailed off. "I'm such an idiot" she muttered quietly.

"Hey now, don't be putting yourself down like that" he said, pouring out some tea. "What happened anyway?"

"He wasn't there." She replied in a distressed tone, trying to hold back her tears.

Brock didn't want to say anything to upset her. "I'd say he just went for something to eat" he stirred the teabags nervously while trying to think of a way to stop her from worrying about him.

Misty rolled her eyes. "Ok sure, Brock. He went all over the hotel to find somewhere to get food when we have our own mini bar back here." she groaned with sarcasm.

Brock handed her some tea and smiled "That girl he's with is pretty, I'll give her that. But she's not his best friend is she?"

Brock wasn't doing a very good job at cheering her up but for some reason that made her smile.

"Thanks, Brock" she sipped her tea and stared blankly at the wall, a million questions going through her head. "But I wish I knew where he was, he said he would follow me back here when he was finished and its not like he can go that far anyway because we're snowed in."

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Like snow, but quietly  
It continues to pile up

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"Hey, don't be upset about it, I'm sure he's just training so that he'll be in top shape for your double battle tomorrow. I bet he's battling so much tonight because he wants to get stronger and impress you for the competition tomorrow."

Misty wrapped a blanket around her and turned on her bed to face the wall, ignoring his attempts to keep her from obsessing about it "I'm tired. Goodnight Brock."

Brock was still concerned. "You gonna be ok?" He asked

"Yeah, why not?" But there was still a tone of resentment and sarcasm in her voice.

Not wanting to make things worse, Brock retreated and stumbled onto his bed on the other side of the room. "If you say so... goodnight."

Misty peered under her blanket and looked at her watch, unable to rest. _"22:38, what's keeping him?" _A million possibilities raced through her head as she wondered what was so great about Melody that could make him take so long. But thinking of that just upset her so she directed her attention to the wall. The patterns on the wallpaper made her dizzy as she started to count all the swirls on it, keeping Ash at the back of her mind. Midnight came and she was still awake, lying facing the wall with her eyes wide open, blanket tightly wrapped around her. Every time she heard footsteps outside in the corridor her ears would prick up, only to hear someone else's voice as they passed the room to her disappointment. She looked at her watch. _"00:05. Damn you Ash." _Tears began to leak onto her pillow. Just as she was about to give up waiting and pass out, the door creaked open. "I'm back." Ash announced quietly. His voice shot through Misty like a bullet and she shut her eyes tightly, pretending to sleep. She refused to let him know she stayed up waiting for him.

He saw Misty with her back to him facing the wall and sat on her bed behind her. "Hey Mist, I'm sorry I'm late" He rested his hand on her shoulder. "My battle with Melody got interrupted halfway and we got called to the lobby to help out the trainers with fire pokemon, we were all melting the snow so we're not stuck here anymore! That means you and I can compete together at the double tournament tomorrow, Isn't that great?" Misty didn't answer. Ash felt uncomfortable with her silence. "Did I do something wrong?" He looked over her shoulder, Misty's eyes were clenched shut, hoping he wouldn't know she was still awake. "Oh you're asleep" he sighed with relief, pulled the blanket over her shoulders and stroked her hair with a smile. "Goodnight Misty." he walked over to his bed as she shivered and wept in silence before drifting off to sleep. _"Don't forget your promise to me…"_

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Hold me tight if I think like this  
I didn't want to know  
What it was like to fall in love with someone  
I love you; my tears won't stop  
Therefore, I should be free of you

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	2. Jealousy

The next morning, Misty peeled her eyes open and dragged herself out of bed as the sunlight flashed on her face. Brock was opening the curtains "Great day isn't it? all the snow is clearing up outside" he chirped with a smile.

Misty rubbed her head "where's Ash?" she asked.

"Oh... he went outside on his own to train." lied Brock.

The truth was, Melody called to the hotel room for him to continue their unfinished battle about an hour ago and Brock didn't want her to start worrying again.

Misty lowered her head in disappointment "I see..."

Then it hit her "Wait! He's supposed to enter the competition with me! Is he coming back soon?"

Brock felt doubtful "He didn't tell me, but he should be back in no time, you know Ash. He doesn't last long outside without running back to get something to eat." he chuckled and hoped it would make Misty feel better, but she was too distracted.

She looked at her watch with a groan "and it starts in an hour! I'm going to have to find a partner" she jumped out of bed and slipped her shoes on.

Brock fixed the sheets on the beds "Well I'd like to help you out, Misty but I think its best that I stay here so that I can remind Ash to catch up with you when he gets back, I only carry rock pokemon so we wouldn't have much of a variety for our team, you'll have a better chance of winning if you go with Ash."

Misty grabbed her backpack and made a dash for the door "ok, thanks Brock!"

She rushed down the corridor, passing the ballroom again, when she heard a familiar obnoxious giggle. Misty thought she was just hearing things but she took a few steps back and peered in through the pane of glass on the ballroom door out of curiosity, only to confirm her paranoid suspicions as she saw two figures sitting next to each other on the stage. Mistys eyes widened in horror as she watched Melody laughing and playfully nudging Ash.

_"I thought he was supposed to be outside training by himself..."_

Ash nervously glanced at his shoes while Melody continued to flatter him. "Thanks for coming down here with me today to keep me company, it was so sweet of you."

"Oh it was nothing" Ash blushed

"Sorry I had to defeat you in our battle" she giggled. "But you put up a good fight, I admit."

"Well I underestimated you Melody, I thought you'd be a rookie" he laughed and jumped down from the stage, now turning his back to the door and Misty. People passing behind Misty in the corridor gave her strange looks and wondered why she was spying on two people in the ballroom but she didn't care who was around, she needed some of her questions answered.

At that moment Melody looked over Ash's head to see Misty peering in through the glass at them, giving her an idea. "Hey Ash..." she stood up and spread out her arms, ready to jump off the stage. He gazed up at Melody towering over him. Before he could move-

"Catch me!" she laughed and jumped off the stage with her arms wide open.

Misty tried to shield her eyes, but at the same time she couldn't look away, no matter how painful it was.

Ash stood frozen on the spot as he wasn't expecting her to do this and she crashed onto him, tumbling to the floor and landing on top of him.

"Ahh, that hurt..." winced Ash, rubbing his head.

"Well you were supposed to catch me." teased Melody

"A heads up would of been nice" He chuckled.

Misty was going to be late for her battle, but she couldn't bear to let this happen behind her back, she needed to know the truth.

Melody took a brief glance out of the corner of her eye to see Misty still standing there watching helplessly. Then she turned to face Ash, raising an eyebrow at him, who only noticed now that she was still lying on top of him. Beads of sweat dripped down the side of his forehead. _"I can't move... and why is she getting so close to me?"_

Misty started shaking with agitation _"Why isn't he getting up?!?" _She felt a tap on her shoulder, followed by a familiar voice. "Hey Misty shouldn't you be going to your battle now?" Brock blinked at her, wanting to know why she was just standing there looking through the window. But she didn't even turn to answer him because she was too caught up in her jealousy at this point, unable to focus on anything else. Brock looked through the window with her to see what all the fuss was about and he nearly leapt back in surprise.

Ash was pinned to the floor and Melody's face was inching closer to his. Misty gasped and slapped her hand to her mouth in shock to hold back her screams. Ash squirmed helplessly, his mind was blank now and a flash of heat shot through his face as he tried so hard not to blush.

"m-melody..."

Misty felt unable to stand still now from shaking so much, Melody's lips were only a centimetre away from Ash's and getting closer. She once saw Melody kiss him on the cheek before and that drove her crazy, but if she had to watch her kiss Ash on the lips this time it would kill her. She was powerless to do anything, if she ran into the room and interrupted them, Ash would know she cared about him, so she had no choice but to sit back and let Melody snatch him away.

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How long will I keep thinking of you?  
My sigh makes the window glass fog up

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"I..." she hung her head "I CANT LOOK!" and with that she burst into tears and ran towards the lobby to get out of there.

"Hey-" Brock reached his hand out to stop her from running off, _"No. Maybe it's best she doesn't see this" _and shifted his attention to the ballroom, knowing that Melody would be kissing Ash right now.

He was wrong.

Ash abruptly rolled over and dodged Melody's kiss. She bolted back from his sudden movement.

"H-hey what are you doing?" His voice was shaking.

"I wanted to see what it was like" she grinned.

"Yeah? well... You should of warned me first." Now he was averting her gaze and looking at the floor nervously.

Brock sighed with relief and returned to the hotel room, to await Ash and confront him.

"Aww what's the harm?" asked Melody sweetly as she batted her eyelashes.

Ash was still in shock, but her brash behaviour made him snap out of it. He raised his head and met her eyes with a piercing glare. "It might not be harmful to you, but maybe I wasn't ready for that! Especially with someone I hardly know!" he snapped tactfully.

Melody shrugged her shoulders. "suit yourself..."

"Pikachu! we're leaving" they both sprinted to the door, Pikachu hopping closely behind

Melody rolled her eyes. _"plenty more fish in the sea"_

Brock stared at the door eagerly and heard footsteps outside. _"here he comes..."_

Ash twisted the door open, letting Pikachu pass in front of him and slammed it behind him before leaning against it with an exhausted "urgh"

Brock folded his arms "So, did you have fun Ash? Anything I should know?"

Ash frowned "Oh geez, you saw the whole thing?"

"Not only me. Misty saw too"

Ash held his stomach, he suddenly felt much worse and collapsed onto the floor. "oh no... how long was she there?"

"Why don't you ask her?" He grunted, starting to get annoyed with Ash "You were the one who was supposed to take her to the double battle today."

Ash slapped himself on the forehead "I completely forgot! She must be mad at me..."

"Then go after her!" scolded Brock.

"I'm the last person she'll want to see now. I was supposed to follow her back here last night and I never did." He hung his head in shame "I really let her down."

"Yes." agreed Brock bluntly "and if you don't go after her, she won't be able to compete. She needs a partner for it"

"Why couldn't you take her when I was late?"

Brock's face hardened "Are you trying to blame me for all this now?!?"

"NO!" protested Ash waving his hands. "I just… didn't want her to be alone"

Brock raised an eyebrow at him. "You care about her, don't you?"

Ash gave a silent nod.

"That's all I needed to know" grinned Brock. "The battles are starting in 5 minutes, you can still make it if you fly to her on your Mukkuru."

Ash raised his fist and his expression shifted to a warm glow "I'll do it!" as if he was accepting a challenge.

"Pikachu, we're going again!"

"pikaa!"

and they both jogged out the door, leaving Brock alone drinking tea _"I hope I did the right thing by sending him after her this time_" as he remembered what happened last time when he sent Misty to go after him.

Ash got outside the hotel and flung a pokeball. "Go, Mukkuru!"

He and Pikachu jumped on its back. "Mukkuru, we need you to get us to that gym on the other side of town"

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Misty bolted to the desk at the entrance room of the gym towards the receptionist, out of breath.

"Hey… I'm here for the double battle" she gasped as she leaned against the desk, tired from running .

The receptionist peered up at her through her rectangle glasses. Mistys hair had fallen down, her eyes were red and sore and she looked exhausted.

"Ok, your name?" She asked.

"Misty Waterflower, gym leader from Cerulean city" she breathed.

"Are you ok?" asked the receptionist "you sure you can battle?"

Misty forced a smile "Of course!"

"If you say so… alright where's your partner?"

Misty felt a wave of sorrow wash over her, consuming her shattered heart, almost about to cry again because all the sprinting she did to reach this place kept her mind off Ash and now thoughts of him were flooding back. She was in such a hurry to get out of the hotel and as far away from him as possible that she didn't even stop to think about getting a partner along the way

"oh. I…"

Two girls stood behind Misty and sniggered as they eavesdropped on her misfortune "How pathetic." commented one. "She doesn't even have a partner and she came to a doubles tournament!" Misty felt a lump forming in her throat as she struggled to keep the false smile on her face, but her watering eyes were becoming a dead giveaway. "What's the matter? Boyfriend couldn't make it?" Smirked the other.

The receptionist suddenly realised what was going on and felt pity for Misty. "Do you want me to get someone to fill in as you partner?" she asked gently with a smile.

Misty was desperate at this point. She really wanted to battle with only Ash as her partner and now those girls were fuelling her with rage, only making her want to battle more than ever. But at this point she didn't care who she was teamed up with now. Just as Misty was about to accept the receptionists offer to get her a partner-

"Her partner is right here!" Yelled a familiar voice firmly.

The familiar voice that cut through Misty like a knife whenever she would hear it unexpectedly. The only voice that could make her feel weak inside. Ash's voice.

The receptionist looked over Misty's shoulder in surprise at the trainer with ebony spiked hair poking out from under his cap and a Pikachu clinging to his back, looking just as exhausted as she was. The two girls who were taunting Misty turned around and glanced at him. "Oh I guess we were wrong." said one, grabbing the other by the arm and leading her into the gym "Come on lets leave these two love-dorks alone" she hissed.

The colour suddenly drained from Misty's face as she stood frozen at the reception desk, unable to turn around and look at him. The receptionist could tell from her expression that she didn't want to team up with Ash. Feeling awkward, she lowered her head to the desk, pretending to do some paper work while humming to herself.

Misty still had her back to him.

"Hey Mist." He chirped

She didn't respond.

Pikachu felt uneasy, he could sense that Misty was upset with Ash, without even looking at her face.

He gently placed his hand on her shoulder from behind "I'm really sorry, you know"

Misty had no choice and slowly turned around to face him, tears trickling from her eyes and splashing against the tiles. Ash's heart sank when he realised how much he hurt her.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Now, a burning candle  
Can't melt my shaking heart anymore?

---------------------------------------------------------------

"Why are you here?" she sobbed. "shouldn't you be with Melody?"

He tried putting his arm around Misty to comfort her "I-"

"Don't!" she cried, flinching away from him.

The receptionist peered up "Hey I don't mean to interrupt, but the battles are starting now, do you need me to get someone for you?" she asked Misty.

Ash answered for her. "No, she's going with me, aren't ya, Mist?" He smiled proudly and coiled his arm around her.

Misty shivered and struggled to restrain more tears from pouring out, she felt pressured. There was a part of her that wanted to take the receptionists offer and go with another trainer, preferably a male, to spite Ash. Another part of her secretly wanted to battle together with Ash, against trainers from all over the region to show them what an unbeatable team they were but there was a big part of her that just wanted to run away from the receptionist and Ash to cry alone to herself. She concealed her tears with a glare and looked to Ash, eyes burning with resentment, then turned to the receptionist.

"Ok. Get me a partner" she demanded with a grin. Hoping that it hurt Ash deeply.

It did.

"Very well" said the receptionist leaving the room.

Misty folded her arms and smiled to herself, content with her decision. She was even more pleased with herself when she turned around to see the devastated look on Ash's face. His eyes were wide with disbelief, mouth slightly open, but no words could come out. He was confident she would choose him.

The receptionist walked over to them leading a tall teenage boy, possibly the same age as Brock, smartly dressed in a suit with his blonde hair combed to one side.

"This is my nephew Josh" smiled the receptionist. "He said he would love to team up with you, Misty"

Josh stepped forward and took hold of Misty's hand. "Anything for a beautiful young lady" he said, raising her hand and planting a kiss on it.

His overwhelming charm startled Misty and she suddenly felt reluctant to battle with Josh as her partner, but when she saw Ash glaring at him from the corner of her eye, she gave Josh a smile "Nice to meet you, Josh"

The receptionist nodded and walked back to her desk while Josh made his way to the entrance of the tournament and held the door open for her "After you, Misty"

She wasn't used to this kind of treatment "oh.. Thank you" she stammered nervously, walking inside, not even taking one last glance over her shoulder to see Ash looking upset. As much as she wanted to see it, she wanted him to think she didn't care about him a whole lot more.

And with that, the door slammed shut, sealing her decision and leaving Ash standing there in a daze clutching onto his Pikachu for comfort. "Lets go back to Brock" He mumbled to Pikachu. "We'll congratulate Misty when she gets home" He lowered his head and shuffled out the door.

Releasing Mukkuru from his pokeball again, he climbed on and soared into the sky. But this time he didn't feel any excitement or adrenaline rushing though him as they returned to the hotel like he felt when he raced towards the gym to catch up with Misty. Now he was just hollow and cold inside. Usually when he had an argument with Misty it was no big deal but this was something new. **she rejected him **and it hurt him more than any pain he ever felt in his life. He reached the hotel and called Mukkuru back into his pokeball. _"oww..."_ He could feel a searing pain in his chest and put his hand to his heart. As if it was slowly splitting in half.


	3. Persistence

"Well look who it is" said a voice. Ash turned to see Brock leaning with his back against the wall of the hotel outside with his arms folded. The pain was written all over Ash's face. "Not now, Brock" he croaked. "Now's not the time to say "I told you so."

Brock raised a hand to his forehead and let out an inaudible groan. "What did she say?"

"She…took someone else"

"Oh." Brock assumed she would be too upset to enter the battle at all

"Yea. Some guy named Josh." Ash's fists fell to his side and started trembling. "I told her I'd take her"

"You also told her you'd follow her back to our room last night." Brock pointed out dryly.

"That's true…" Ash trailed off.

"Look it can't be helped now. Mistakes are there for you to learn from them. You just have to learn from this particular one and never let her down like this again in future." He decided to use this opportunity to question Ash "How do you feel right now?"

Ash looked at him with a slight frown and a look of bewilderment on his face _"what's with this third degree?" _"I feel cold, what kind of a stupid question is that?"

Brock shook his head. "No, deep down. How do you feel?"

Ash stared at the frosty pavement and watched his breath slowly condensate. "really low"

Brock continued to get more out of him_ "now I'm getting somewhere"_ "and why do you feel like that, Ash?"

Ash sat on the curb and arched up his knees to rest his head on them "Because it upsets me to see her get hurt..." He turned and raised his head to meet Brocks eyes "But it upsets me even more to know that I'm the one who hurt her."

"and wouldn't you feel better if you could make it up to her?" Asked Brock

Ash shifted his eyes away from Brocks challenging stare "Yeah, but-"

Brock caught Ash as the wrist. "Come with me" He commanded "Follow us, Pikachu"

"pii!" it squeaked, leaping beside them.

Knowing that he and Ash wouldn't both fit on the Mukkuru, he hailed a cab. Ash struggled to release himself from Brock's grip "What do you think you're doing, Brock?"

A nearby cab driver pulled up to them "where to?"

Brock leaned in the window "Here's a 20. If you can get us to the gym at the other side of town in less than an hour that would be great." The cab driver grabbed the note and stuffed it in his pocket "Will do" said the cab driver "hop in" Brock jumped into the back seat and Pikachu climbed onto his lap. Ash remained on the curb shaking his head defiantly "Oh no, I'm not going back there, Brock. You can't make me!" Brock opened the door for him "Are you sure? Because I have the key to our hotel room so if you don't come with us you'll have to wait in the lobby for me to return with it and I could be gone for hours you know." Ash rolled his eyes and got into the back seat of the cab, giving the door a hard slam as Brock smiled and slid over to make room for him. "Atta boy" he chuckled.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A roar of cheers came from the audience as Misty's Corsola headbutted Furret, the last pokemon on the other team. She and Josh had just defeated their opponents in the semi finals with no difficulty at all for getting to this point. Misty took a glimpse at all the spectators with excitement and turned to Josh "I can't believe we got to the finals! Isn't this exciting?" she squealed. Josh linked his arm in hers "Yes and when we win, my reputation will skyrocket! You'll help me reach that goal because you're a gym leader" Not the encouraging words of praise Misty was expecting, but she couldn't object and drive Josh away, she couldn't afford to lose now. "Here's our opponents" said Josh pointing to a team of two girls opposite them. Misty felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"_Not them!"_

It was the two girls from the reception earlier. The two girls who made her feel awful about herself when she already felt like she hit rock bottom. Now she was more determined to win this final battle than ever before, knowing that she'd have something to throw in their faces, not to mention Ash.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The cab skidded through a puddle as Ash leaned against the cold icy window of the taxi and his cheek felt damp. Brushing the moisture away with his sleeve, he turned to Brock with a sigh. "remind me why we're doing this" Brock ignored him and tapped the cab driver on the back "you don't have a muzzle by any chance, do you?" He asked jokingly. Realising that it was aimed at him, Ash gave Brock a sharp blow to the arm "Hey! stop that! You're not answering me" He sulked. "You'll see when we get there." Brock said simply.

The announcer's voice broke through the speakers lined all over the gym in slight distortion. "Everyone please be seated as the final battle is about to commence." The excited rabble of the audience toned down. "On the left side of the Gym we have Misty Waterflower and Josh Blazer." A burst of cheers and applause rose from the audience as they walked to the centre of the room to bow gracefully.

The speakers continued with the announcement "and to the right side of the gym we have sisters Rebecca and Karen Primavera." Everyone cheered and applauded in unison as they marched out to the centre arm in arm, looking confident and waving to the crowd with a smug complacent look plastered on their faces.

Misty and Josh locked eyes on their opponents, reaching out to shake hands with them. Josh shook hands with Rebecca, she had auburn hair that trailed down her back into waves and she was wearing an orange dress. "May the best trainers win" she smiled, releasing her hand from his grip "but you know its going to be myself and Karen anyway" she finished. Josh narrowed his eyes at Rebecca's arrogant attitude. Misty hesitated at Karen's open hand and shook it cautiously. Karen's face was round and framed by her shoulder length spiked blue hair. She was very short compared to her sister Rebecca "So, you took a different guy?" Asked Karen as Misty's hand was firmly in her grip. "What happened, did your boyfriend reject you? I'm surprised you even got this far." she snorted. Misty gave her a glare and almost broke Karen's fingers while they were still in her grasp before sharply turning her back to follow Josh to their places.

And the speakers boomed with "Let the battle begin!"

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Brock jumped out of the cab as it reached the gym and led Ash back to the reception desk. "We'd like to compete." said Brock, with his hand still tightly clutching Ash's wrist and holding it firmly.

Ash's eyes widened in horror and he tried to protest. "Hey wait a minute Brock! I didn't agree to-" his sentence was cut off with a muffled sound as Brock tightly clasped his hand over Ash's mouth to keep him from objecting. "If its not too much trouble." finished Brock.

The receptionist raised an eyebrow and questioned the lack of enthusiasm Ash was showing. "You **both **want to team up?" she asked.

Ash broke himself away from Brocks grip "NO!" he protested shaking his head furiously. Brock gave him a kick into the ankle "err.. I mean yes" said Ash followed by a quick glare at Brock.

"Well I think the final battle has already started but if you'd like I can still give you seats to view the tournament" she suggested. "Its half price because its almost over"

"Deal" said Brock handing her the admission fee for their tickets.

"Oh great, not only do I get to see Misty when she clearly doesn't want me around but I get to pay to do it!" groaned Ash with sarcasm.

Brock continued to ignore his complaints and dragged him down the hallway to the seating area.

A bouncer stood at the entrance next to a Machoke assisting him with security "tickets please."

Brock handed him their orange cards "Hey, is it true the final battle has already started?" he asked

The bouncer examined the tickets and glanced at Brock "yes" he replied "you're pretty late."

"Oh?" said Brock astonished, he didn't think the tournament would end so fast. "Who are the finalists?"

The bouncer stood aside to let them pass "Rebecca and Karen vs. Misty and Josh. Each team are down to four pokemon on each side I think. I check up on the battle every 2 minutes or so."

Ash stared at him in disbelief. He knew Misty was strong but he honestly didn't think she should ever get this far without him.

"Ok thanks!" said Brock hurrying Ash inside with an insistent push.

Ash looked around the gym. The seating area was dimly lit and there was a big spotlight down on the floor in the centre where the pokemon battles took place

As they tried to find some empty seats, Ash was too busy focusing on something else "Look, there she is!" He pointed down to a red haired girl in a defensive stance next to a taller blonde boy facing their opponents.

"Woah, that's her partner? Talk about uptight." commented Brock.

Ash suddenly felt bitter "Yeah, that's Josh" his eyes narrowed as he stared down at him.

"…can we sit at the back row?" Pleaded Ash, pointing to some empty seats.

Brock shrugged his shoulders "fine by me, but if we sit here, Misty won't be able to see you"

Ash frowned at him. "Yeah that's the point" he retorted.

Brock followed Ash into the back row and sat next to him "Do you know why I brought you here?" He asked.

"To make Misty even more annoyed with me than she already is?"

"No" chuckled Brock patting Ash lightly on the back "You have no idea how much I've been trying to the help the two of you lately."

Ash got curious at the intriguing complaint "Me and Misty?"

Brock replied with a nod "No matter how hard I try to fix things I only make it worse, but I'm gonna keep up. I made you follow me… so that you could cheer for her. Even if she's mad at you right now, the least you can do is support her. That way she'll know that you'll stay at her side her through thick and thin." He turned to Ash "and she is your best friend, right?"

Ash's face lifted into a smile "Yeah, you're right Brock! She'll always be my best friend no matter how bad things get between us. She's…important to me" and blushed, a little surprised at his own sudden remark

"Glad to hear that. Things will work out between the two of you, I know it" he reassured him with another comforting pat on the shoulder

Ash turned his attention from the crowd and looked up at Brock again "How do you know these things? What makes you so certain of it?"

"You have much to learn Ash…" Brock put his hand to his forehead in a dramatic pose and gently exhaled a sigh while shaking his head with disbelief. "Its simply because she's been friends with you since day one. You had only started your journey to become a pokemon master and you just happened to bump into her and you've been inseparable ever since. Its fate."

Ash went silent at Brocks explanation, _"It's fate?" _it was almost as if he knew too much. Brock turned to look at Ash who was now staring blankly into the crowd with his chin resting on his hand. Seeing what he just told Ash was making him think, Brock grinned and finished with "Let me put it this way, do you really think the only reason Misty spent all these years with you was so she could get her bike back? Even though she returned to Cerulean to help her sisters out, why do you think she visits you so much? Think about it."

"What are you trying to say?" he asked, now getting even more confused.

Brock was enjoying this. "You're still young and naïve, Ash. I'll give you time to figure this one out for yourself"

But now Ash's mind was focused on the battle. He tugged at Brock's sleeve. "Hey, those two girls Misty and Josh are up against, I think I saw them picking on her earlier." Ash's face hardened "I really hope Misty wins this"

Brock merely answered with "hmm" and kept concentrating on all the competitors sitting in the rows of seats opposite them who failed to reach the final, scanning the crowd for cute girls.

Misty cheered as her politoed crashed into her opponent's hitmontop with a tackle

Ash peeked out slowly from behind a tall man sitting in front of him and smiled down at her

"_you can do it mist…"_

"Argh, its so hard to see the battle clearly from up here!" Ash squinted "But there's no way I'm getting closer. Can you see anything, Brock?... Brock?!?"

He turned to Brock only to see him distracted by a nurse joy a few rows down who was keeping her eyes peeled for injuries she could take care of.

"Forget it" Ash grumbled.

"Xatu, finish off politoed with psychic!" shouted Rebecca

Rays shot from Xatu and penetrated deeply into Politoed, slowly weakening it and causing it to let out a weak croak before fainting.

"Come back politoed!" called Misty "You did great. Time for me to switch..."I'm counting on you, Starmie!"

Ash's fingers curled tightly around the sides of his chair.

Brock noticed Ash's concerned expression "Don't worry, Misty's an experienced trainer. She'll find a way out of this"

Josh pointed forward. "Jumpluff! use leech seed on Hitmontop"

Jumpluff fired into the air but Hitmontop evaded the attack

"Xatu, use fly on Jumpluff!" commanded Rebecca furiously.

Xatu swooped into the air and hurled itself downwards, giving Mistys team a powerful blow due to the type advantage. Jumpluff stumbled, leaving out a feeble cry before collapsing. Josh started to grit his teeth. "This is my last one... Go, Quilava!"

Quilava Bounced out and snarled furiously at his strong opponents. "Quilava, you're my last chance. If you can do this then I'll win this battle and I'll become famous!

Misty started to feel a strong resentment towards him "_what does he mean, "**I'll** become famous?!?" Its almost as if I'm not even here"_

But she had bigger things to stress over now, and she was determined to get through this, even if her partner did seem arrogant and hungry for glory.

"Starmie, use hydro pump on Xatu!"

Starmie began to spin rapidly, shooting forceful blasts of water at Xatu.

Rebecca let out a shriek as Xatu was hurled to the other side of the room hitting against the wall and collapsing to the floor. "Alright, return Xatu!"

Rebecca reached into her pocket to select her last choice and gave Misty a sly grin while doing so.

"I choose... Dragonite!"

Misty felt helpless as it emerged from the pokeball, towering over her. _"there's no way I can beat that"_

Josh was desperate to finish them off "Quilava! get Hitmontop with flame wheel" He wasn't going to risk his last pokemon on Dragonite and assumed Misty would take care of that for him.

Quilava breathed in deeply and exhaled a blast of fire. "Good! now close in on hitmontop using quick attack"

Karen reacted fast "Hitmontop! Use selfdestruct!"

And in a defensive move, Hitmontop exploded itself, catching Quilava in the blast.

Josh shielded his eyes because he couldn't bear to look at his last desperate attempt blow up right in his face. But after he heard a scream of anger break from Karen, he slowly opened them. Her Hitmontop was out cold and Quilava was still hanging in there. "keep it up, Quilava!" he ordered

Karen paused before deciding on her last pokemon. "Its all up to you now, Slowking!"

Misty groaned with exhaustion _"They really know how to save the best for last, don't they?"_


	4. Heroic

Brock studied the scoreboard carefully "Misty has two pokemon left and everyone else has one. But it's not looking good for her team, now that the other two have Dragonite and Slowking against her" commented Brock, growing concerned.

Feeling nervous, Ash was starting to crack his knuckles impatiently, trying to think of a way to pull her out of this mess. _"I can't let her lose" _He looked at Misty's small distant figure with the spotlights on her and the other three trainers, being watched by everyone. _"I can help her" _and on an impulse, he jumped out of his seat and started running down the aisles "Hey! where are you going?" Brock called after him. But Ash didn't stop to answer and kept rushing to the front of the crowd so he could reach the sidelines and cheer for her _"I don't care if she gets mad at me, I want her to know I'm always going to support her" _Beads of sweat poured from him and he gasped for air as he frantically pushed his way down to the battle as near as possible. Pikachu followed closely behind.

Misty leaned back against the wall for support, feeling weak _"What am I going to do now?" _But time was running out and she needed to think fast.

"MISTY!"

Once again it shot through her, that familiar voice, piercing deeply into her heart and sending a shiver down her spine _"don't tell me its him..."_

She reluctantly craned her neck to look at the crowd and surely enough, there was Ash standing at the side of the gym flashing a winning smile at her. "You can do it, Misty!" But she wasn't too pleased. "Why are **you** here?!?" She yelled furiously. He formed his two hands into a cylinder around his mouth to amplify his voice over the roars of the crowd surrounding him. "You shouldn't be thinking of that right now! You need to stay focused and keep it up. BECAUSE I KNOW YOU CAN WIN THIS, I BELIEVE IN YOU!" he finished.

Misty's face softened and she suddenly felt a warm glow inside, but she didn't want Ash to know he made her feel better and sharply turned to her rivals.

"I'm not giving up!" She shouted, giving Rebecca and Karen a determined look to let them know she'll fight until the end.

Rebecca turned up her nose and laughed at her "You just don't know when to quit, do you? Dragonite, use hyperbeam on Starmie!"

Dragonite arched its back and a searing blast of light shot from its head, darting into Starmie and causing it to topple over. "Starmie, no!" Cried Misty rushing to her beloved friend and clutching it. She felt a lump forming in her throat knowing now that she had only one pokemon left to choose and Josh's last pokemon wasn't in a good shape after getting caught in the blast of the selfdestruct attack. Not only that, Ash would see her fail without him.

Josh was kneeling on the floor almost praying for mercy as he looked at his weakened Quilava and started getting anxious, knowing that Misty only had one pokemon left and they were bound to lose. He got to his feet and called his Quilava back "Ok, that's it!" He bellowed in disgust, turning to Misty "I refuse to keep fighting with you on my team because you're too distracted by your friend over there and now I'm going to lose because of you! My aunt said you were a tough gym leader but it looks like she was wrong" Ash fumed at Josh's attempt to make her look like a weakling while Josh was clearly the one being a coward and attempting to back out instead of accepting the fate of a graceful loser.

Misty didn't know whether to feel humiliated or enraged "What?!? How dare you try placing all the blame on me just because things aren't going the way you want and for your information I **am** a tough gym leader! If you want to be a sore loser then be my guest" she finished with a growl.

Rebecca and Karen watched them in amusement, enjoying every second of their argument.

"FINE! I don't need this" yelled Josh gathering his pokeballs and storming out of the gym. A chorus of astounded gasps rose from the audience and everyone felt pity for Misty as her mouth fell open in amazement at his immature decision

Misty wasn't expecting him to do that _"What a sore loser, At least Ash could take his losses like a man, most of the time. I feel so stupid for bringing Josh here now"_

She shook her head defiantly. "I'll fight both of you alone!" she declared

"Its your funeral." Smirked Karen. "Choose your last pokemon"

The referee blew a whistle and approached Misty. "I'm sorry, but its against the rules for one trainer to battle two. I'm afraid you'll have to forfeit" He told her sternly.

_"after trying so hard" _Tears welled in Misty's eyes "but-"

"WAIT!" interrupted a desperate cry from the audience. Everyone turned their heads to the corner of the gym, to see where the voice was breaking from. They watched as a boy ran out onto the battle floor towards the referee with a Pikachu on his shoulder

"I'll be her partner for it" he turned to Misty and took her hand while staring directly into her eyes to show how sincere he was, silently pleading that she wouldn't reject his offer this time

The referee turned to Misty "Is that ok with you, miss?" he asked

She took a pause and glanced around the room at the confused audience, the impatient referee, The two girls who were still bent over with laughter because of her misfortune and then she looked to Ash, still beaming at her, eyes wide with hope, clutching her hand and gently rubbing his fingers against her palm.

_"I'm running out of options..."_

"Yes. Its ok with me" she nodded.

Brock moved a few rows closer to the crowd to observe _"well its about time"_

The audience let out a small cheer, a few scattered people even stood out of their seats to applaud Misty's decision. They wanted the victory of this battle to be won fair and square, not through someone's forfeit.

"Ok. you can choose one pokemon, sir" said the referee

Ash didn't even need to think twice and faced his trustworthy Pikachu "you ready?"

"Pikaa!" it squealed, jumping down from his shoulder

Now Ash, Rebecca and Karen all had their last pokemon out. All eyes were on Misty, who was still deciding on hers.

"Oh take your time." said Rebecca. "sooner or later we're going to win this anyway." Karen put a hand on her hip "Yeah, its not as if you'll have much help with that... rodent" she cackled, while turning her nose up at Pikachu in disgust

Misty ignored their snide remarks but Ash wasn't going to put up with it "You take that back!" He yelled.

"Make us!" snarled Rebecca.

Misty ran forward and interrupted them "Hey guess what? I can save the best for last too!" she gloated and kissed her pokeball before launching it. "Go Gyarados!"

Karen and Rebecca were suddenly feeling intimidated at the sight of Mistys tough dragon pokemon. Her Gyarados was just as experienced as their Dragonite and Slowking.

Seeing that his rivals were distracted by Mistys Gyarados, Ash decided to get the battle started by taking the first shot.

"Ok pikachu, use a thunderbolt on Slowking now!"

Karen watched the Pikachu dashing towards her Slowking and let out a sigh "I figured you'd go for the type advantage, so predictable" then gave him a smirk "But I was prepared for this! Slowking, use reflect!" she commanded

A transparent shield of light surrounded Slowking as a burst of electricity flew from Pikachus body as he crouched with his eyes shut tightly, squeezing out as much energy as he could at Slowking, but his electric attack gave minimal damage.

"Pikachu, its no good! Stop the attack before you wear yourself out!" warned Ash

Pikachu obeyed and opened his eyes, halting the attack

"Ok slowking! ice beam attack!" shrieked Karen. Pikachu leapt back and tried to dodge it but the beam was too fast for him and he endured a powerful blow.

Ash's heart sank as Pikachu fell to the ground with a whimper. "Are you ok?"

Pikachu staggered to his feet and brushed the icicles off his yellow fur, static buzzing from his red cheeks, Then gave a weak "chuu..." before running back to Ash's arms to rest.

"You did great, Pikachu." Misty reassured him. "Let me handle Drangonite while you try to conserve some energy ok?" She turned away from Ash and Pikachu to face Rebecca

Misty brushed a curtain of vermilion locks out of her face, she was starting to feel beads of perspiration clinging to her forehead as she swept her hair back. "Gyarados! Use surf attack on Dragonite!"

Ash gazed at her every move from behind in admiration _"She did such a great job at getting this far and all because she takes good care of her pokemon. I'll help her get finish this off"_

Rebecca kept an eye on the gushing wave approaching her Dragonite and leaned forward, prepared to give the command. She had a trick up her sleeve. "You ready Dragonite?"

Dragonite watched the wave get closer with confidence, knowing that his trainer was going to get him out of this mess "Use fly, Dragonite!" ordered Rebecca, just as the wave was about to hit her pokemon, leaving Misty to burn with agitation as Dragonite soared to the ceiling, dodging the powerful attack.

Rebecca stuck out her tongue at Ash and Misty with contempt while her Dragonite shadowed over their pokemon

Misty tried not to show any fear but it was written all over her face. Slowking and Dragonite were still in good condition while Ash's Pikachu was sitting on the floor next to him, trying to rest and now Dragonite was about to finish off her Gyarados in one swift move.

Rebecca titled her head back to look up at Dragonite hovering close to the ceiling and everyone in the gym gazed up in awe, awaiting her retaliation.

Rebecca stretched her hand out and pointed to Gyarados "Dragonite! Use your Dragonbreath!"

Misty collapsed to her knees, knowing her fate was sealed. _"That's it, I'm done for"_

She felt sick with regret, watching helplessly as Dragonite spiralled downwards, breathing a wave of dragon breath onto her Gyarados for what felt like an eternity. Gyarados let out a roar of pain as the searing breath penetrated his scaly body.

_"Those stupid girls were right. I should of quit a long time ago" _she remained glued to the floor with her eyes down, unable to look at her dear friend going through all this, hanging her head in shame.

Ash ran to her side, kneeling down to be eye level with her. "Misty, look at me"

She ignored him.

He gently held her chin and raised it so she would meet his eyes. "I have a plan" he smiled.

She brushed a tear away and furrowed her eyebrows at him "It doesn't matter, its too late to do anything now" she choked, trying to hold back a sob.

"You can trust me! Just listen to what I have to say. What do you have to lose?"

Misty turned away from him and stared at her Gyarados, "No, I can't trust you anymore" she mumbled. But Seeing her Gyarados struggling to stay alert after the devastating attack inflicted on him was making her desperate. "I guess I don't have a choice..." she sighed reluctantly "Ok, What's the plan?"

He climbed to his feet, helping her stand up with him. "Just follow my lead. When I give you the signal, order Gyarados to shoot a hydro pump at both pokemon" Misty didn't know what he had in mind but she shrugged her shoulders and trailed behind him anyway. They approached Pikachu and Gyarados, who were both standing together, doing everything they possibly could to keep themselves from fainting

"Ok, Misty. Go!"

Ash's order almost made her jump out of her skin "Oh! Umm.. Gyarados use hydro pump on both pokemon!" she suddenly felt like an idiot after doing so, she never let Ash tell her what to do before and she wasn't in a hurry to start now.

And with the last of its strength, Gyarados slugged its way forward and opened its mouth, ready to gush a flood of water at them.

Ash looked to Pikachu and gave him a confident smile "Ok, now's your chance Pikachu! Jump onto Gyarados' back and send a thunder attack along the hydro pump!"

At that moment Misty realised what his plan was. "Water conducts electricity, Why didn't I think of that sooner?!?" she grumbled, feeling slightly jealous of his idea.

Pikachu jumped onto Gyarados' tail and ran up along its back, reaching the top of its forehead.

Rebecca and Karen exchanged nervous glances _"uh oh."_

Ash and Misty glowed with excitement, they knew this battle was theirs. Then took a step closer to their pokemon shouting "GO!" in unison.

Gyarados drenched Slowking and Dragonite thoroughly with his hydro pump as Pikachu leapt into the air, giving one last Bolt of thunder and sending it along the spiralling blasts of water, crashing into Dragonite and Slowking continuously. Misty crossed her fingers and leaned forward with anticipation. _"Just a bit more..."_

Dragonite and Slowking were still on their feet, desperately trying to withstand the repetitive combination of water and electricity engulfing them. Even people in the audience were shielding their eyes from the blinding attack. The whole gym was starting to buzz with static.

"Chuuu..." Pikachu's thunder was starting to weaken as he stumbled backwards, feeling light-headed. Ash made a dive and skidded along the gym floor, catching Pikachu as it fell. Realising he had no one to back him up, Gyarados let out a croak before giving its last spurt of water for the battle.

The raging attack on them came to an abrupt stop, the enthralled audience opened their eyes in horror to witness the last moments of the battle. Dragonite and Slowking stood still for a moment, then wavered slightly before dropping to the gym floor with a thud.

A silence fell over the gym and everyone stared at Rebecca and Karen's pokemon both lying face down in the centre of the room.

after a pause and build-up of suspense, the announcement Misty and Ash had been waiting to hear broke from the speakers.

"Rebecca and Karen's pokemon are both unable to battle. This years winners are Ash and Misty!" The audience erupted with cheers as Rebecca and Karen collected their pokemon with a "hmph" before storming out of the gym. Brock beamed with pride as he watched Misty return her Gyarados and timidly saunter behind Ash towards the referee to accept their trophy. It was a golden cup with a pair of trainers standing side by side holding two pokeballs engraved on it. Ash punched the air in triumph before passing the trophy to Misty. "I didn't do this for the reward. I only jumped in at the last minute to give you a hand. You truly earned this by working so hard, I'm proud of you Misty" She looked up from the trophy at him, her expression an overwhelming mix of confusion and despair. Now that the battle was over and her mind was clear, she could suddenly remember why she was so upset with him again, the battle made her forget about Melody for a brief moment and now the scarring sight she witnessed as she passed the ballroom flashed into her head again, taunting her _"Why do you act like you care about me now when I'm clearly not important enough for you to keep your promises? Did Melody abandon you?" _she wanted to blurt those words out so badly but they never came, so her tears fell instead. "I'm sorry!" she cried, shoving the trophy to Ash. "I have to go..." and she ran out the fire exit weeping, leaving the audience baffled and Ash standing between his Pikachu and the referee dumbfounded, wondering what he did wrong. The victory suddenly didn't feel so great for him anymore. It meant nothing to him if he couldn't share it with her. The whole reason he even took the risk of jumping into the battle was to make her happy and fix everything between them but it wasn't good enough. _"What do I have to do for her to make things right again?" _Everyone in the audience rose from their seats and hurriedly shoved their way out of the gym. They didn't see the point in hanging around anymore. Ash felt his face flush with embarrassment as he heard people talk about them on the way out.

"That was a good final battle, even if it did get confusing"

"I know what you mean, first that Josh trainer ran away and then this other guy with a Pikachu comes out!"

"So does anyone know what happened to that girl? Why was she so upset after winning?"

"Beats me. I suppose we'll never find out what really happened behind it all"

"Shh, we're passing him. Don't ask any questions about her, it would be rude"

Ash studied the waxed hardwood floor of the gym nervously, trying to block out every word he was forced to listen to as the crowd passed him

"Hey you put up a really good fight you know" said a voice Ash could finally recognise. He peered up at Brock standing right in front of him.

Ash didn't reply.

"Look I'll hold your trophy and keep an eye on Pikachu" he offered "Go find Misty. You two still didn't get a chance to talk things over yet."

Ash scratched the side of his neck "There's just no point, Brock. She made that clear when she wouldn't take the trophy and ran away from me. I don't even know what I did to upset her"

Brock slouched against a wall "you still don't see it do you?"

Ash was getting really tired of this "ok what are you talking about? Is there something I should know? Tell me!"

Brock knelt down to carry Ash's Pikachu "It's not my place to tell you. The only way you'll find out is if you catch up with Misty and hear it from her and no one else and if she can't bring herself to tell you, then it's just something you have to figure out by yourself"

Ash held his head in his hands with frustration "But I don't even know where she is right now! and how do I even get an answer from her when she won't talk?!?"

Brock walked towards the fire exit. "If I know Misty, she'll tell you eventually. But you have to be persistent. The reason you don't get a word out of her is because you don't try hard enough. You need to be more considerate."

Ash rolled his eyes "I've been doing that all day and it hasn't gotten me anywhere!"

Brock raised a finger "Ah! But didn't she allow you to battle with her? see, we're making some progress."

Ash gave him a shrug "I guess, but she didn't have much of a choice"

"Exactly. You came to her rescue when she needed you the most. She'll realise how much of an effort you're making and she'll appreciate it. Just have patience." advised Brock

But asking Ash to have patience was like asking Brock to go into just one pokemon centre without hitting on a nurse joy.

"Ok you win again Brock" he sighed. "Hold this trophy and take a cab to the hotel. I'll follow you there after I find her"

Brock gloated as Ash caved in to take his advice. "Its in good hands! and don't worry I'll keep Pikachu safe too" he promised as he cradled Pikachu, napping peacefully in his arms after a tiresome battle.

Ash opened the fire exit with a kick and looked over his shoulder at Brock "ok thanks... don't wait up"


	5. Eternal snow

Misty stuffed her frostbitten hands into her pockets and walked the icy streets of the city alone, it was only 5 o clock and the sky was already pitch black and scattered with stars. She looked around as she passed brightly decorated shops full of people in a rush. Only a week left until Christmas. The lightly falling snow made her shiver so she browsed for a cosy cafe to get a hot beverage and keep herself warm. She'd get ill if she kept walking around on a dark winters evening wearing no more than a pair of shorts, t-shirt and trainers. _"I should buy a coat while I'm here, its freezing" _she moaned, heaving her backpack over her shoulder.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hold me tight, strong enough to break me  
If we meet in a biting cold blizzard  
I won't feel cold, and  
I miss you everytime I think of you  
This scarf that I knit for you  
I'm holding it alone tonight

------------------------------------------------------------------

Ash scanned the crowds of Christmas shoppers for Misty's face as he squeezed his way through the busy streets. He massaged his pink frostbitten knuckles and stayed on a spot to get a good look at all the shops. _"If I were Misty and I wanted to hide from me, where would I go first?" _he wondered. _"this is too hard!"_

Misty slouched into a chair in the corner of a nearby cafe. She breathed gently on her cocoa before sipping it, every drop keeping her warm as she watched the snowflakes drifting around outside. The cafe was small and cramped with customers armed with shopping bags, standing around drinking tea to keep themselves from getting cold. _"I'll be safe here. He'll never find me in a place like this"_

Ash walked right past the cafe Misty was hiding in and looked at some clothes stores. _"That's it! She told me last night that she wanted to buy a new coat. She must be in one of these stores shopping for clothes." _He browsed one after another and searched frantically for her. He even walked to the changing rooms at the back to see if she was hiding in them, gently tugging at the curtains of each cubicle saying "Misty, is that you in there?" only to hear a shrieking woman scream "NO! Get away before I tell security about you" from behind the curtain every time. He gave up on that search tactic and decided to ask around a little, starting with the employees. He approached a sales clerk at the counter and leaned forward "Hey, you didn't happen to see a young red haired girl about my age come in here earlier and buy a jacket in the last 5 minutes, did you?" The sales clerk shifted his eyes around the store "No, I'm sorry. Can't say that I have. Is there anything you'd like to purchase sir?" Ash looked around the store at all the jackets they were selling. Then it caught his eye. A pretty charcoal coat hung at the back of the store, looking very comfortable, with fake fur around the edges of the hood. "That would keep her warm, its perfect! I'll take that one" He pointed towards it. The sales clerk looked at the price. "It's quite expensive, are you sure?" Ash opened his wallet. "Of course! No number is too high" The sales clerk scanned the tag of the jacket "Buying it as a present for your friend?" He asked. "Not just some friend." corrected Ash, handing the money over "my **best** friend"

After 3 cups of cocoa Misty was starting to get short on money and excuses to stay inside. She stood up and grabbed her backpack. _"I should go check out what jackets they're selling around here" _she took a step outside the cafe and felt the chill winds bite into her again, draining all the warmth from her. _"I badly need one" _She treaded along the icy path down to the clothes stores, bumping into dozens of tall adults, bustling in and out of stores, when out of nowhere she knocked into a young boy the same height as her, who was squeezing his way through the crowds too.

Misty rubbed her forehead "Hey! Watch where you're-"

She stopped dead in her tracks. Who she thought was a complete stranger in a hurry to get his Christmas shopping turned out to be the last person she wanted to see right now.

Ash's frosted lips parted slightly as he stared in awe at the girl in front of him. The colour had drained from her fragile body and her complexion was as white as the snow falling around them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

If there were an eternally falling snow  
This feeling I have for you, could I hide it?

--------------------------------------------------------------------

After an awkward silence that felt like an eternity for both of them, Ash finally broke it with "H-Hey Mist..."

She started to shiver again, she couldn't tell if it was the effect Ash's presence was having on her or if it was the harsh winter night. She tried thinking of something to say, but no words came out. She wanted to run from him but she was unable to move at this point, petrified from the snow and the unpleasant surprise he gave her.

He continued to make an effort. "I don't know exactly what I did to hurt you, but if it's about me breaking those two promises in a row then I'm really sorry."

She finally let out a gentle breath of condensation and spoke up "You just don't get it, do you? Yes that did hurt me... But there's something you did that hurt more than any pain I ever felt in my whole life"

Ash took a step closer to her "Then please tell me what it is, I can fix it!"

Misty's eyelids clenched shut, she refused to look at him. She knew that if she kept staring into his deep brown eyes she'd get weak and lose herself in them "No you can't! Nothing will ever erase the damage."

Ash tried to think of other reasons she'd have to be this way but still couldn't understand what he did to make her this upset. _"Everything was going great for us apart from when I told her I'd follow back to the hotel room and take her to the double battle, if there's something else then what is it? All I did since she got here was hang out with Melody so I haven't done anything else to get on Misty's nerves - wait! Is that what she's upset about?" _After a long pause he spoke again, this time with a challenging question. "Is it something to do with Melody?"

She didn't answer.

"It's something to do with her, isn't it?"

"...maybe"

"Why? If she's to blame then what did she do to make you hate me so much?"

Misty perked her head up and locked her eyes on his with a fierce glare "You think I hate you?"

Ash trembled, taken aback by her sudden question. "well.." he couldn't finish.

She scraped a star shape in the slushy iced pavement while thinking of something to say. "Just because I'm furious doesn't mean I hate you... You're stupid for thinking like that" she grumbled.

Ash let out a sigh of relief. "So what's the deal with Melody then? You're changing the subject"

She turned her back to him and faced the gentle breeze as snow pierced her delicate skin like a knife "I can't tell you that."

Ash gritted his teeth, remembering what Brock said to him: _"It's not my place to tell you. The only way you'll find out is if you catch up with Misty and hear it from her and no one else and if she can't bring herself to tell you, then it's just something you have to figure out by yourself" _There was no way Ash could figure this one out by himself. He wasn't exactly the sharpest Scyther in the forest. He thought that after 4 years of travelling with Misty that he would be able to understand her more by now, but he never paid much attention to her, always distracted by battles. Even when he did make an effort to get to know her better she would just coldly drive him away, leaving him more confused than ever. _"I don't get it. Melody distracted me from keeping my promises to Misty, but if that isn't what made her so mad at me then what else did Melody do to-" _Then it hit him like a snowball in the face. _"Because she tried to kiss me?!? how would that upset her? unless..." _Ash let out a surprised "oh" and looked up at Misty, her back still turned to him, hands in her pockets, rooted to the spot using one foot to make patterns in the frosty pavement subconsciously. He ran in front of her and stared directly into her face "I figured it out. You didn't want Melody to kiss me. You wouldn't battle with me because I was supposed to follow you and you caught Melody trying to kiss me, isn't that right?" he said simply.

Misty's eyes widened. _"how did he know that?"_

Misty didn't answer. Her silence confirmed that his theory was correct so he continued talking, knowing that he finally got to her. "Look, even though she almost kept me from coming to the battle with you, the important thing is that I didn't let her kiss me and I caught up with you, didn't I?" He assumed that she was annoyed with him because he arrived late, not because she was jealous. He still wasn't aware that she was crazy about him.

"But, I saw her kiss you!" she protested nervously.

Ash tilted his head slightly like a confused Growlithe "You **saw** her kiss me? How long were you there?"

Her face went a pale shade of pink "I couldn't watch the whole thing, I ran away before she actually kissed you."

Ash blinked at her "oh... well if you stayed long enough you would of seen me back away from her and run out of the room. I haven't spoken to her since, you can ask Brock"

Misty felt her heart pound with hope again "r-really?"

Ash gave her a strange look as he saw the smile slowly spread back to her face and scratched his head "wait, why weren't you able to look anyway?"

Misty almost jumped out of her skin and quickly thought of an excuse "b-because I was going to be late for my battle..." she gingerly scraped her shoe along the ground, peeling a layer of ice off the pavement again, something that had been keeping her occupied for the last 30 minutes now. At least it felt like 30 minutes to her.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Hold me tight if I think like this  
I didn't want to know  
What it was like to fall in love with someone  
I love you; my chest fills up  
I want to cry out to the winter sky  
I want to see you now

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Ash wasn't able to understand what Misty meant earlier when she confronted him saying_ "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Melody_?" as tears fell down her face. But now it all made sense to him. _"Misty felt neglected and jealous?!?"_

Ash buried his hands in his pockets and admired the ground with her. "What almost happened yesterday in the ballroom... really upset you, didn't it?" They were both unable to drag their eyes away from the patterns of stars and swirls that were now engraved in the snow at their feet, a result of Misty's nervous fidgeting.

Again, he had shot another question at her that she couldn't bear to answer, kept her eyes fixated on the pavement.

Ash took a deep breath "You know, there's a reason I wasn't able to kiss Melody"

Misty lifted her head slightly "yeah?"

"Well just before she kissed me, I honestly wasn't even thinking of my promise to you. My mind was blank because she was so forward. I felt intimidated"

She narrowed her eyes "Are you going anywhere with this?"

Ash continued with his explanation "even though I felt cornered and unable to move, for some reason a thought popped into my head. A voice at the back of the mind was just screaming at me to get away so I just ran out of there. I mean, I'm still a kid you know? I'll become a pokemon master first, then I can worry about all that girl stuff years from now"

He hoped Misty would take this as a subtle rejection. The last thing he wanted was Misty, or any girl for that matter, to act romantic towards him.

Misty's lips parted slightly to leak a soft sigh as she arched her neck to look at the stars _"someday you'll see what was right in front of you all along"_

"...Hey, Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"I forgot to buy a coat, can you come with me?"

Ash gave himself a self punishing slap on the forehead. "Oh that's right! Can't believe I didn't remember it sooner" he exclaimed, opening his backpack.

Misty got curious "What is it?"

Ash pulled out the expensive coat he purchased earlier. "spread out your arms" he commanded gently

Misty put her hand to her mouth in disbelief "Ash, you didn't! f-for me?"

Ash stood behind her and slipped the coat onto her freezing body, giving it a slight tug while fastening the zip for her and raising his eyes to meet hers. She was speechless, her eyes glazed over and reflecting the city lights like turquoise pools. "you look nice..." he commented dreamily, captivated by her. He wasn't even aware that he was saying it out loud until he noticed Misty giving him a strange look.

Now feeling uncomfortable, Ash quickly snapped out of his romantic mood and returned to his normal self "well consider it an early Christmas present" he chuckled jokingly. He took a step back and stroked his chin while eyeing her from head to toe in admiration "Do I have good taste or what?" He gloated proudly. "Yes you do" she giggled, starting to feel at ease again. _"Maybe it really is possible for us to keep our strong bond. It worked that way for four years, nothing could change that now... could it? _

Ash jumped to her side "Good to hear!... soooo, where's my present? Did ya bring me one, huh Mist? Did ya?" he gave her a playful poke into her stomach.

"Stop, Ash! that tickles!"

_"No, of course nothing will ever change between us. He's still the same stupid, irresponsible, reckless Ash Ketchum I met four years ago... _

_and I love him._

_**I love him**"_

"I love you" she blurted subconsciously, surprising herself just as much as she surprised him. _"damn I was supposed to be thinking that, not saying it!"_


	6. Indelible words

Her confession startled Ash. _"she loves me?!? I thought I knew her so well, after 4 years and then she drops this bombshell on me...I'm only 14, I've never looked at anyone in that way before!... But be careful she's your friend, the last thing you want is to lose her. For the love of Celebi, say something quick!"_

Misty examined his perplexed expression, knowing she made a big mistake _"Take it back! tell him you didn't mean it... no, you can't lie"_

Ash was in a hurry to say something, but he was caught off guard so he just let out a nervous ramble "I.. uh, see I think of you as a best friend and... over the last four years you've always... um, You're important to me."

Misty lowered her head in disappointment _"Now look what you've done, he doesn't feel the same way and you just made everything awkward"_

"That's enough Ash." she interrupted, unable to look at him "Lets just go back to the hotel"

Ash continued to stutter complete nonsense "b-but Misty, you told me.. when I don't know what-"

"I said lets go!" she snapped

Ash retreated, looking a little hurt "..ok"

Misty felt ashamed of herself for bearing her soul to him. _"The one thing I tried so hard to keep quiet about and now its too late, those three simple words have scarred our friendship" _

but Ash looked at the situation differently. _"why is she acting like this? treating me like dirt and then telling me she loves me out of nowhere! I'm so confused... but no matter how bad things get, she'll always be my best friend"_

She started pacing quickly to the curb to keep in front of him while hailing a cab, too ashamed to meet his eyes.

They jumped into the backseat "pine hotel please" she muttered, handing the cab driver money. Ash reached a hand out with some coins "that's alright Misty, you don't have to pay" he protested "let me take care of-"

"stop it" she said sternly, looking out the window to avoid all eye contact. "just don't say anything for the whole trip back alright?" A hard thing for her to request from him, being the talkative person Ash was, it took all his self control not to comment on all the places they passed or mention the trophy they won earlier. Every "Hey, Mist-" was cut off with a cold look from her. _"for someone who said she loves me she has a funny way of showing it... Wait, why do I care if she loves me or not? Get a grip, Ash You don't like girls" _At least that's what he kept trying to tell himself. His nails dug into his legs as he leaned forward in his seat, bored out of his mind and stewing in frustration. Misty, on the other hand, was gazing vacantly out through the window at nothing in particular. Just keeping her eyes fixated on one spot, pretending Ash wasn't sitting beside her.

--------------------------------------------------------

Who do you think you are?  
You're talking so loud  
You bury the sound  
Of your heart that's singing out

And where do you want to be?  
On top of the world  
Where you're just a girl  
Who forgot what its like to dream

-----------------------------------------------------------

Despite her futile attempts, she could sense his eyes leering into the back of her head, making her squirm with discomfort _"he wants answers... but there's no way I'm keeping this up. I'll just have to get an early flight back to Cerulean in the morning" _

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

You leave everything behind  
But you're so tired  
One day you might open up your eyes and find

What you've got isn't what you wanted  
What you need just happens to be  
What you've got isn't what you wanted  
What you need just happens to be  
Someone you should know

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Brock stifled a yawn and sprawled out on the couch with the remote dangling from his hand. _"so boring here, they better hurry up and get here soon. This place is so quiet without them" _Pikachu lay next to him snoring gently, exhaling a soft "chuu" with every breath. Brock dropped the remote and fell asleep, tired of waiting for his friends to return. A few minutes passed before The door slammed open and Misty locked herself in the bathroom "open up, Misty!" Ash twisted frantically at the handle

"would you keep your voice down, you'll wake Brock!" she hissed on the other side

"No! I wanna know what I did wrong. What did I do now, huh, Mist?"

silence.

Ash rested his palm on the door "yeah, see you can't even think of anything to say to that. Because I haven't done anything wrong."

silence.

Getting impatient, he tapped on the door "this isn't funny, Mist! Just come out and talk"

Misty leaned her back against the door, eyes wide and her hand clasped over her mouth to keep herself from answering his pleads _"no, you haven't done anything wrong, Ash. That's the problem. Sometimes I secretly wish you **would** hurt me so that I wouldn't have to love you anymore... who am I kidding? even when you hurt me it's still there. That's why I'm going home tomorrow. Maybe the distance will get rid of my obsessive thoughts and I'll finally be able to get over you"_

she wanted to confess it all to him and say exactly what was on her mind, but all that could come out was

"I'm going home tomorrow"

-----------------------------------------------------------

You try to hide between the lines  
Of a story never told

------------------------------------------------------------

Ash's heart sank and he walked away from the door to lie on his bed _"I give up"_

His Pikachu slept peacefully beside him. Ash curled into a ball and stared at Brock on the couch, snoozing loudly with the occasional "joy...jenny..." in between his snores. Ash frowned _"why does he try so hard to make me and Misty get along when she clearly doesn't want that? she told me she loved me and then acted like she never said it." _his fists began to curl _"she couldn't of possibly expected me to say it back? I don't love anyone!.. well I love my pokemon and friends but in a completely different way. I'd better do something about this" _He sprung up from the bed and walked to the desk on the other side of the room with a notebook in his hand

-------------------------------------------------------------

I've seen you run away  
You're afraid of the fall  
The weight of it all is too much

But you might change your mind  
If you'd stand up one day  
You might open up your eyes and find

What you've got isn't what you wanted  
What you need just happens to be  
What you've got isn't what you wanted  
What you need just happens to be  
Someone you should know

----------------------------------------------------------

Misty tossed and turned on the cold bathroom tiles uncomfortably. It was the last place she wanted to sleep but having to face Ash outside was much worse so she refused to move. She unzipped the coat he bought her and used it as a blanket. _"It'll be easier to sleep now... damn this coat even smells like him" _not that she didn't like it, in fact she adored his scent, she just hated being reminded of him at times like these. She cleared her mind to stop thinking about him and closed her eyes for 10 hours of a numbing thoughtless bliss. When she was sleeping she couldn't feel pain, it was her temporary escape at night

----------------------------------------------------------

How do you keep it up?  
Its all just a front  
A dangerous stunt  
You're gonna come down soon enough

--------------------------------------------------------------

Ash slowly peeled his eyes open as the morning light hit his face. He raised his head wearily and looked around the room. _"I fell asleep on the desk..." _he squinted at the blurred digits on his watch _"I only got 3 hours sleep. I shouldn't of pulled an all nighter" _then he remembered the notebook that kept him occupied during the night and tore out the page he wrote on while Misty was in the bathroom.

_creak_

Brock came into the room with a tray of things for breakfast. "hey, I was downstairs getting us some things to eat from the buffet- did you only wake up just now?"

"yeah, I was up all night writing uh..." Ash blushed and changed the subject as he stuffed the note into his pocket "so what did you get for breakfast?"

"just some cereal, tea and bread."

Ash dragged himself off the chair and pushed the bathroom door open, the room was unlocked and empty "Hey, where's Mist?"

Brock placed the tray on the desk "Didn't she tell you? she left this morning about two hours ago. She's catching the next train home to Cerulean"

Ash's jaw dropped. He remembered Misty told him she would leave this morning but he didn't think she'd go without even saying goodbye.

"What?! How can you be so calm about this? Why didn't you stop her, Brock?"

"I can't force her to stay with us if she doesn't want to" he shrugged.

Ash plucked the black coat off the bathroom floor _"she didn't even take my present with her..."_

"when does her train leave?"

Brock raised his sleeve back to check the time "about 10 minutes-"

_thump_

Ash left the room and Brock looked up only to catch a glimpse of the hotel door close behind him.

"...Ash?"

------------------------------------------------------------

_"The 12.30 train to Cerulean will be leaving shortly. Please check all luggage before leaving the platform" _echoed the announcement throughout the hollow train station. Misty heaved her backpack and approached the ticket inspector with a grimace _"four hours in a noisy carriage back to my gym. this is going to be so boring" _her uncomfortable night on the bathroom floor made her grouchy "maybe I'll be able to get some sleep..." she watched as young trainer got onto the Cerulean train in front of her with a boisterous Mankey and Ivysaur

_"I spoke too soon"_

"here's my ticket" she sighed, handing it to the burly inspector beside the carriage entrance

"ok, everything's in order miss" he stepped aside to let her pass.

---------------------------------------------------


	7. Early departure

Ash jumped off his Mukkuru and rushed into the train station, clutching the coat to his chest, feeling his pulse in every pounding footstep towards the platform as he searched for the crowd boarding the Cerulean train to catch up with Misty.

He caught sight of a redhead just about to get on the train. _"there she is!"_

"HEY!"

Misty recognised his startling call and jumped a little, before turning to see Ash, holding her coat and gasping for air. He looked exhausted and sleep deprived. _"wow, I almost feel sorry for him" _

"What is it, Ash?"

"Stay with me and Brock!"

"You came out here just to say that?" She put her hands on her hips.

"Well, at least take the Christmas present I got for you"

"You only bought that out of guilt. I don't want it"

"That's not true!" he protested "I remembered you told me in the hotel that you wanted to buy a new coat and I don't want you to get cold in this kind of weather. Please take it?" he waved it at her insistently.

Misty tried not to smile at his sincere kindness or show any gratitude, but she could feel a glow creep onto her face.

"Ok.. thanks Ash" she muttered.

"so you'll stay?" his eyes lit up

"no!" she snapped "look, my train is about to leave, you'll make me miss it..." she turned away from him and got into her carriage. She didn't want him to think she cared, for the sake of what was left of their friendship. _"I can't stand showing him feelings that will never be reciprocated"_

Ash hung his head in defeat and shuffled away "Alright, you win... Take care, Mist"

The whistle signalled for the train to go and with that, it slowly pulled away, separating Ash from his best friend further and further as time passed. He sat on a nearby bench for a few minutes, listening to his ipod and contemplating his relationship with Misty, just as his did the night before. Looking back on how she stayed at his side through all the years. _"she was so supportive, but did I even notice it before? or praise her for it? maybe this is why everything changed between us. I suppose if this is what she really wants then I can't stop her. At least I managed to give her the coat in time, now she'll finally see things from my point of view"_

_--------------------------------------------------------------------_

Misty's carraige rocked about as she tried to fall asleep, but she found it difficult. She was unable to lie in a comfortable position because her seat was so stiff and the chatter from surrounding passengers and their pokemon was keeping her awake. She took out her ipod and set it to shuffle, then rested her chin on her hand as she gazed out the window at the world drifting past her. _"Things will be better when I'm not around. He can move on and become a pokemon master without my mixed signals getting in the way. He doesn't need me" _

---------------------------------------------------------------------

I thought I did everything right  
I thought I treated you,  
The best way I know how  
But where do I find myself now  
Where do I find myself now  
I look around,  
And my friend you're gone,  
What did I do wrong

I wish I could say  
that if you change you're mind I'm here  
that if you call for me, I'm there  
if you're hurting, I'll run fast  
forget about the past  
I'll be right by your side  
Be right by your side

I thought you cared for real  
I thought that I was good to you,  
And made you smile a lot  
But this is what I've got  
I look around,  
And my friend you are gone,  
I guess you've been for long

I wish I could say  
That if you change you're mind I'm here  
That if you-"

Ash ripped his earphones out in frustration as the lyrics of Lene Marlin's "Wish I could" was starting to sound a little too familiar to him. _"enough of this. I'm going back to the hotel"  
_


	8. Someone you should know

Brock munched on his toast contentedly as Pikachu lay on his lap, curled up and snoring gently. His ears began to twitch and he jumped up suddenly, sensing Ash's approach

_creak_

The door opened and there stood Ash, cap angled downwards, emotionless expression on his face.

Brock felt uncomfortable and broke the silence "hey where were you?" even though he already knew that Ash went to find Misty, he just couldn't think of anything else to say.

Ash threw himself on the bed and took his cap off before lying down. "Isn't it obvious where I was? Chasing after her like an idiot again" he gritted his teeth. "I try cheering her up and this is how she thanks me"

Brock gulped the last of his tea. "Don't take it personally. Maybe she wanted to get back to her gym earlier"

"But she didn't even tell me she was leaving!" Ash exclaimed

Brock tried to hold back a smirk "and why do you care so much all of a sudden? I've never seen you obsess so much over someone before"

Ash glared at him "oh that's just-" he couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Yeah, you can't think of anything to say to that" grinned Brock "...what happened between you two anyway?"

"nothing" he mumbled

"out with it" said Brock passing him a cup of tea

Ash took a sip and tilted his head back "I don't know, she said she was mad about the whole Melody thing and I tried reasoning with her but... I don't even know what's going on"

Brock felt confused "wait, are you sure you didn't say anything to offend her?"

Ash stirred at his cup nervously "no..." _"I didn't say what she **wanted** me to..."_

Brock stood up with a stretch "oh I give up. I tried helping, but it looks like this is something only you two can fix." He grabbed a towel and opened the bathroom door "I'm taking a shower"

"Whatever" Ash petted his concerned Pikachu

"Pika?"

"Yes, I'm ok" said Ash, forcing a smile at his yellow friend.

But Pikachu knew he was lying.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Misty peeled herself off the seat as the Train pulled into Cerulean station. "home sweet home" she grimaced. She fastened the warm coat Ash bought for her and walked through her hometown in a daze. _"The gym is only 20 minutes away from here but I'm too exhausted to walk. Maybe I should get a cab..." _she sighed and stretched out an arm to hail one nearby.

"That'll be 10" said the driver. Misty reached into her coat pocket _"what's this?"_ she could feel a piece of paper in there. _"I'm only carrying coins, it can't be paper money..."_

"You paying or not?" interrupted the driver

"Oh!" said misty startled "h-here" she shoved a fistful of coins into his palm and climbed into the back seat.

She slid the paper out nervously. It was crumpled up with dreadful handwriting all over it. She could recognise it _"why?"_

Reluctantly, she folded it open, knowing who it was from. Her heart racing and her stomach felt weak.

_Hey Mist, Guess who?_

_"I suppose if you're reading this right now that means you're back in Cerulean. I hope everything is ok, please take care of yourself and tell Azurill I said "hi."_ _You know, it's funny. As I write this, I can hear you snoring in the bathroom. Ok, it's not that funny but I am pretty mad at you. Because you're leaving without an explanation. There's so many things I wanted to find out and you never told me. You know how much I can't stand not knowing stuff. Anyway, I know that five minutes after you go, I'll miss having you around, just like before.. I never told you this, but last time you left me, things just weren't the same without you there. I had no one to argue with. Like right now. hah, now that I think of it, I get to argue and tell you whatever I want and you can't say anything back for once! Let the fun begin... hmm, where do I start... I don't like your cooking! There. I said it."_

Misty rolled her eyes and continued to read

_"That felt good actually XD and uhh... ah, who am I kidding? Its not the same if you aren't fighting back! Come out of the bathroom already, I can't stand being ignored, especially by one of my best friends. Its true. Even though you yell at me and make me feel really small at times, I'm used to it. Because you've always been there since day one and I know I would of never gotten this far if you hadn't of fished me out of the water on my first day as a pokemon trainer. I just wish you would cut me some slack for once. I chase you all the way out to the gym to support you, then I walk around in the cold outside trying to find a coat to give you. Do I have to say I love you to keep you happy? My friendship should be enough for you. It's not that I don't love you, I just can't say something I'm not completely sure of. It confuses me, I really don't want to get involved with ANYONE like that. If you're leaving because you regret telling me how you feel, don't. As gross as I think it is, it's nice to know someone loves me. Anyway if it makes you feel better, I do think about you a lot. Sometimes when I'm awake at night with Brock and my new friends I worry about how you're doing in that gym all by yourself. If I wasn't so busy travelling all over the world I'd visit you more often. Because things are better when you're around, you always give me advice with battles and you even looked after me when I was sick. Heh, I don't even know why I'm telling you this but I need to get out everything I want to say in case you go home. I'm putting this letter in your coat pocket so you'll have no choice but to see things from my point of view, haha! Anyway, the sun is rising. I can't believe I stayed up all night writing this. What else to tell you before I pass out... oh, and the thought of you leaving me for good is kinda scary, I really hope I have the chance to see you soon Mist, please don't forget me. You're a special girl and I honestly don't know where I'd be without you. And who knows? maybe when I'm done saving the world and I become a pokemon master, I'll finally be wise enough to understand you and things will be ok between us again - Ash_

_PS: If you don't visit me next time you get a vacation, then I'll have no choice but to come over there and see how you're doing. I don't care if it annoys you so hah!"_

Misty's heart pounded as she folded the letter after reading that last taunting sentence. _"There's still hope. He thinks it's ok if I love him, maybe he'll love me too eventually, he wouldn't keep making an effort if he didn't care" _She fastened the coat tighter and felt a warm glow surging through her body as she slipped the letter into her pocket. The final verse of Lisa Loeb's "someone you should know" played on the radio as she smiled to herself.

----------------------------------------------------

Open up your eyes  
Don't be scared  
You might find you had it all the time

What you've got is what you wanted  
What you need just happens to be  
What you tried so hard to hide  
It was there between the lines  
Of a story never told  
About someone you should know

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Ash's pokenav buzzed as he laid on his bed lifeless. "Brock, can you get that?" He croaked, unable to summon the strength to pull himself off the bed.

Brock picked up the pokenav and looked at the caller ID on the screen in astonishment. "oh!"

Ash lifted his head "Is it my mom checking on me again?"

Brock sat on the bed beside him and paused before showing him the pokenav. "It's Misty"

-fin-

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I'm aware it isn't too good, keep in mind that I am a beginner and I spent a lot of time on it. Anyway, if you enjoyed this fic in the slightest then at least some good came out of it. If the ending seems unfinished, let me know. I might add an extra chapter or sequel for you


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